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Feb. 26th, 2004 06:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
turpsI've just done a ficlet for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fic_requests but it's too long to fit in comments, so I'm posting it here.
~*~*~*~
Chris watches; eyes half closed as he leans against the wall. He’s half hidden in shadows and his foot moves as he waits, dirty sneaker tapping against wet concrete. Chris can feel water seeping through the hole in the sole and makes a mental note to cut more cardboard for insoles, the next job on his list after he’s done here.
The kid’s still standing next to the dumpster and Chris tenses when Elroy stands up, letting his ratty blanket fall to the ground. The kid looks scared and Chris doesn’t blame him. Elroy’s enough to give anyone nightmares with his bloated body, red rimmed eyes and greasy hair. But the kid stays put, either too stupid or too scared to run when he has the chance.
“Fuck.” Chris curses when he sees the kid smile. Doesn’t he know not to smile at strange men? Especially ones like Elroy. Chris has seen Elroy’s specialist porn collection, has woken to the feel of fat hands on his body. A broken nose and a kick to the balls had made sure Elroy didn’t try that one on with Chris again, but the kid doesn’t know any better. Is still standing there, all white teeth, curly hair and bravado, Chris has to act.
Chris smiles as he stepped from the shadows. He’s pleased to see Elroy blanch a little so smiles wider, showing all his teeth, then stops when he’s within kicking distance. “I thought I told you what I’d do next time you went near kids.”
Elroy steps back a little, then looks at the kid who’s stopped smiling at last. “Fuck you, Kirkpatrick. You can’t tell me what to do, you’re not leader of this place. You’re scum like the rest of us round here. If I want to talk to the kid I will. Get that.”
Elroy jabs a dirty finger at Chris’ chest, and Chris reacts instantly. Snarling, he grabs Elroy’s fingers, bending them back with brutal force. “One, I may be scum but I’m a better class of scum than you. Two, don’t touch me. Get that?” Jerking at the fingers one more time, Chris pushes Elroy away from him, then turns to the kid. “Come on. You don’t want to stay here, believe me.”
For a moment Chris thinks the kid’s not going to come, is just going to stand in the alley clutching his bag to his chest. Then he suddenly straightens up and smiles again. If he wasn’t so close Chris might have thought he was happy, but he can see the shivers that run through the kid’s body and the paleness of his face. He looks impossible young, and makes Chris feel impossibly old, but there’s no way Chris is going to leave him for Elroy.
“Come on, kid. Come with me. You’ll be safe, I promise.” Chris starts to move and he sighs in relief when the kid follows.
“I’m not a kid.” The words are soft and Chris keeps walking.
“My name’s Justin.” The words are louder this time, and Chris rubs a dirty hand across his eyes, stopping to look at the kid -- Justin. Who’s following behind, bag still clutched in his arms.
“You are a kid. You proved that when you walked into alleys like that and smiled at guys like Elroy. You should be at home tucked up in bed, not on the streets.”
“Yeah? Well I’m not, and I’m not a kid and I can look after myself.” Justin sounds annoyed and he starts to stride away. For a moment Chris thinks about letting him go, it’s late and he needs to meet JC soon but the streets aren’t safe and Chris won’t forgive himself if another kid gets hurt.
“Kid…Justin, wait.” Justin stops and Chris relaxes a little. “Look, I’m sorry okay. Just come with me, at least for tonight. I have to meet someone then we’ll go to the soup kitchen. You look hungry.”
Justin hesitates, then smiles again. Chris doesn’t smile, he knows Justin’s fresh meat to the perverts that prey on the homeless, and the smile doesn’t help. Justin’s looks too innocent, too beautiful to survive on his own.
“You know where to get soup? I’m starving, yo. We haven’t eaten since yesterday morning when we ate the last of the candy bars.”
“What do you mean, we?” Chris’s worry intensifies and he looks round to see if there’s a fresh faced girl somewhere.
“I mean, Lance, my bo…friend. He’s waiting at a park a few blocks that way. I came to look for a shelter we’d heard about.”
Chris catches the slip but doesn’t say anything. Justin looks scared now, as if the offer of soup’s going to be taken away now Chris knows there’s two of them. Not that Chris would take the offer away, not now. “The shelter’s five blocks that way, but you won’t get a place. You have to be there first thing, and it’s not a place you want to be anyway. We’ll go get your Lance then JC.”
It’s cold and Chris shivers as he starts to walk again. His coat is threadbare in places and he’s damp after a day busking in the rain. There’s only a few coins in his pocket -- people don’t want to listen to him sing when it’s wet -- but there should be enough for a coffee after the soup kitchen, one of the few treats he has. Justin stays silent as they walk, and Chris can’t manage the energy to talk either. He never can after singing all day.
“There he is.” Justin says before running toward someone who’s sitting on a bench. Chris squints, trying to see who Justin’s running to, then feels like walking away when he finally does see. Lance looks almost as young as Justin, and Chris wants to swear. Two pretty boys together, they’ll be chewed up and spat out within days.
Chris doesn’t want to see the innocence stripped from their faces, but as he watches them embrace, holding each other for a touch too long, Chris knows he has no choice.
“I guess this is Lance.” They spring apart and Chris feels his belly clench when he sees how happy they are, the way they stand side by side, hands brushing together.
“Yes sir, I’m Lance. Pleased to meet you.” Lance sounds puzzled but still sticks out his hand. Chris steels himself and grips it briefly, then steps back as Justin starts to explain, words tripping over themself in his excitement.
“Lance, this is…actually I don’t know who it is, but it doesn’t matter. He knows where to get food, and he saved me from this scary guy. You should have seen him.”
“Chris.” Chris interjects. “I’m Chris and we have to go if you want soup. I still have to get JC.”
“Nice to meet you, Chris.” Lance doesn’t offer his hand again but Chris can tell he wants to. Instead he picks up a battered suitcase and stands ready to go.
“So where’s this JC, then we can go get food.” Justin moves as he talks and Chris has to hurry to catch up.
“He’s this way, come on.” Chris takes the lead and keeps walking, ignoring Lance and Justin who whisper behind him. It’s too cold to dawdle, so they soon reach the street JC’s working. Chris sees him kneeling on the sidewalk and feels his chest loosen at the sight. Walking closer, Chris hears Justin and Lance gasp in surprise and feels like doing the same himself. JC has excelled himself, the sidewalk’s a riot of colour, unicorns and rainbows entangled with dragons that snort flames.
“JC.” Says Chris softly, kneeling to get his attention. As usual, JC’s in his own world. His fingers are coated with chalk and his hair has streaks of red and blue running through it. His nose is yellow and Chris gently cleans off the smear of colour with the sleeve of his coat.
“It’s time to go already?”
Chris nods and starts to pack up JC’s chalks, pushing them into the box before emptying the coins in the hat into his hand. There’s not many, but there’s enough. They’ll eat in the morning at least.
“JC, this is Justin and Lance. Justin, Lance, this is JC. We hang together, he watches my back.”
“Yeah right.” JC laughs, wiping his hands on his white t-shirt, leaving multi-coloured streaks across his chest and belly. “You watch mine you mean. Hi.”
JC waves at the kids then smiles hugely when Justin moves closer, admiring the picture. “Hi. Your picture’s beautiful, but won’t it wash away in the rain?”
JC looks up, as if he’s just noticed the rain then shrugs. “I’ll do another in the morning. You coming with us?”
“Erm. I think so.” Lance sounds unsure and moves closer to Justin. They look young, and lost despite Justin’s air of confidence and Chris knows JC has adopted them already.
“Yeah, they’re coming with us.”
“Good.” JC smiles in satisfaction, giving Chris a look that makes him glow inside. “We’ll get you some shelter later, I think Joey has a spare box. You’ll like Joey, he’s nice. But first, soup. It’s chicken night, right Chris?”
“It’s Monday, so it’s chicken night.” Chris looks at the picture one last time then starts to walk away. JC is talking to Lance and Justin, happy to have someone new to talk art to but Chris stays silent. He’s got four people to look after now – he’s never felt so old and worn out.
ETA: Chris! EEEEEEEK! God god, he looks fantastic!
fic_requests but it's too long to fit in comments, so I'm posting it here.~*~*~*~
Chris watches; eyes half closed as he leans against the wall. He’s half hidden in shadows and his foot moves as he waits, dirty sneaker tapping against wet concrete. Chris can feel water seeping through the hole in the sole and makes a mental note to cut more cardboard for insoles, the next job on his list after he’s done here.
The kid’s still standing next to the dumpster and Chris tenses when Elroy stands up, letting his ratty blanket fall to the ground. The kid looks scared and Chris doesn’t blame him. Elroy’s enough to give anyone nightmares with his bloated body, red rimmed eyes and greasy hair. But the kid stays put, either too stupid or too scared to run when he has the chance.
“Fuck.” Chris curses when he sees the kid smile. Doesn’t he know not to smile at strange men? Especially ones like Elroy. Chris has seen Elroy’s specialist porn collection, has woken to the feel of fat hands on his body. A broken nose and a kick to the balls had made sure Elroy didn’t try that one on with Chris again, but the kid doesn’t know any better. Is still standing there, all white teeth, curly hair and bravado, Chris has to act.
Chris smiles as he stepped from the shadows. He’s pleased to see Elroy blanch a little so smiles wider, showing all his teeth, then stops when he’s within kicking distance. “I thought I told you what I’d do next time you went near kids.”
Elroy steps back a little, then looks at the kid who’s stopped smiling at last. “Fuck you, Kirkpatrick. You can’t tell me what to do, you’re not leader of this place. You’re scum like the rest of us round here. If I want to talk to the kid I will. Get that.”
Elroy jabs a dirty finger at Chris’ chest, and Chris reacts instantly. Snarling, he grabs Elroy’s fingers, bending them back with brutal force. “One, I may be scum but I’m a better class of scum than you. Two, don’t touch me. Get that?” Jerking at the fingers one more time, Chris pushes Elroy away from him, then turns to the kid. “Come on. You don’t want to stay here, believe me.”
For a moment Chris thinks the kid’s not going to come, is just going to stand in the alley clutching his bag to his chest. Then he suddenly straightens up and smiles again. If he wasn’t so close Chris might have thought he was happy, but he can see the shivers that run through the kid’s body and the paleness of his face. He looks impossible young, and makes Chris feel impossibly old, but there’s no way Chris is going to leave him for Elroy.
“Come on, kid. Come with me. You’ll be safe, I promise.” Chris starts to move and he sighs in relief when the kid follows.
“I’m not a kid.” The words are soft and Chris keeps walking.
“My name’s Justin.” The words are louder this time, and Chris rubs a dirty hand across his eyes, stopping to look at the kid -- Justin. Who’s following behind, bag still clutched in his arms.
“You are a kid. You proved that when you walked into alleys like that and smiled at guys like Elroy. You should be at home tucked up in bed, not on the streets.”
“Yeah? Well I’m not, and I’m not a kid and I can look after myself.” Justin sounds annoyed and he starts to stride away. For a moment Chris thinks about letting him go, it’s late and he needs to meet JC soon but the streets aren’t safe and Chris won’t forgive himself if another kid gets hurt.
“Kid…Justin, wait.” Justin stops and Chris relaxes a little. “Look, I’m sorry okay. Just come with me, at least for tonight. I have to meet someone then we’ll go to the soup kitchen. You look hungry.”
Justin hesitates, then smiles again. Chris doesn’t smile, he knows Justin’s fresh meat to the perverts that prey on the homeless, and the smile doesn’t help. Justin’s looks too innocent, too beautiful to survive on his own.
“You know where to get soup? I’m starving, yo. We haven’t eaten since yesterday morning when we ate the last of the candy bars.”
“What do you mean, we?” Chris’s worry intensifies and he looks round to see if there’s a fresh faced girl somewhere.
“I mean, Lance, my bo…friend. He’s waiting at a park a few blocks that way. I came to look for a shelter we’d heard about.”
Chris catches the slip but doesn’t say anything. Justin looks scared now, as if the offer of soup’s going to be taken away now Chris knows there’s two of them. Not that Chris would take the offer away, not now. “The shelter’s five blocks that way, but you won’t get a place. You have to be there first thing, and it’s not a place you want to be anyway. We’ll go get your Lance then JC.”
It’s cold and Chris shivers as he starts to walk again. His coat is threadbare in places and he’s damp after a day busking in the rain. There’s only a few coins in his pocket -- people don’t want to listen to him sing when it’s wet -- but there should be enough for a coffee after the soup kitchen, one of the few treats he has. Justin stays silent as they walk, and Chris can’t manage the energy to talk either. He never can after singing all day.
“There he is.” Justin says before running toward someone who’s sitting on a bench. Chris squints, trying to see who Justin’s running to, then feels like walking away when he finally does see. Lance looks almost as young as Justin, and Chris wants to swear. Two pretty boys together, they’ll be chewed up and spat out within days.
Chris doesn’t want to see the innocence stripped from their faces, but as he watches them embrace, holding each other for a touch too long, Chris knows he has no choice.
“I guess this is Lance.” They spring apart and Chris feels his belly clench when he sees how happy they are, the way they stand side by side, hands brushing together.
“Yes sir, I’m Lance. Pleased to meet you.” Lance sounds puzzled but still sticks out his hand. Chris steels himself and grips it briefly, then steps back as Justin starts to explain, words tripping over themself in his excitement.
“Lance, this is…actually I don’t know who it is, but it doesn’t matter. He knows where to get food, and he saved me from this scary guy. You should have seen him.”
“Chris.” Chris interjects. “I’m Chris and we have to go if you want soup. I still have to get JC.”
“Nice to meet you, Chris.” Lance doesn’t offer his hand again but Chris can tell he wants to. Instead he picks up a battered suitcase and stands ready to go.
“So where’s this JC, then we can go get food.” Justin moves as he talks and Chris has to hurry to catch up.
“He’s this way, come on.” Chris takes the lead and keeps walking, ignoring Lance and Justin who whisper behind him. It’s too cold to dawdle, so they soon reach the street JC’s working. Chris sees him kneeling on the sidewalk and feels his chest loosen at the sight. Walking closer, Chris hears Justin and Lance gasp in surprise and feels like doing the same himself. JC has excelled himself, the sidewalk’s a riot of colour, unicorns and rainbows entangled with dragons that snort flames.
“JC.” Says Chris softly, kneeling to get his attention. As usual, JC’s in his own world. His fingers are coated with chalk and his hair has streaks of red and blue running through it. His nose is yellow and Chris gently cleans off the smear of colour with the sleeve of his coat.
“It’s time to go already?”
Chris nods and starts to pack up JC’s chalks, pushing them into the box before emptying the coins in the hat into his hand. There’s not many, but there’s enough. They’ll eat in the morning at least.
“JC, this is Justin and Lance. Justin, Lance, this is JC. We hang together, he watches my back.”
“Yeah right.” JC laughs, wiping his hands on his white t-shirt, leaving multi-coloured streaks across his chest and belly. “You watch mine you mean. Hi.”
JC waves at the kids then smiles hugely when Justin moves closer, admiring the picture. “Hi. Your picture’s beautiful, but won’t it wash away in the rain?”
JC looks up, as if he’s just noticed the rain then shrugs. “I’ll do another in the morning. You coming with us?”
“Erm. I think so.” Lance sounds unsure and moves closer to Justin. They look young, and lost despite Justin’s air of confidence and Chris knows JC has adopted them already.
“Yeah, they’re coming with us.”
“Good.” JC smiles in satisfaction, giving Chris a look that makes him glow inside. “We’ll get you some shelter later, I think Joey has a spare box. You’ll like Joey, he’s nice. But first, soup. It’s chicken night, right Chris?”
“It’s Monday, so it’s chicken night.” Chris looks at the picture one last time then starts to walk away. JC is talking to Lance and Justin, happy to have someone new to talk art to but Chris stays silent. He’s got four people to look after now – he’s never felt so old and worn out.
ETA: Chris! EEEEEEEK! God god, he looks fantastic!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2004-02-26 10:18 am (UTC)PS. That was lovely, very nicely done :o)
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Date: 2004-02-26 10:54 am (UTC)I like going to ficlet requests on occasions, it gives me an excuse to try pairing I otherwise wouldn't. This whole AU suddenly popped in my head and wouldn't go away. I could see scenes, like JC painting and Chris busking. Then things like Justin and Lance sleeping rough the first time, maybe begging.
I like your happy endings. I can so see JC with his own show and Chris with a contract, and yes they'd have a beautiful penthouse and none of them would be hungry again.
Thanks for letting me know you liked it, hon.
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Date: 2004-02-26 11:14 am (UTC)That's the pesky thing about AUs, there's so much possibility, you can do what you like with the characters lol
JC would rock having his own show lol And Chris with his own contract :o)
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Date: 2004-02-26 01:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-26 03:03 pm (UTC)I'm really thinking about writing more. I want to write about the first night in the box for the lambs, and Chris trying to earn money while JC paints all day. I need Joey in there too :)
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Date: 2004-02-26 03:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-26 01:53 pm (UTC)Chris, who of course would look after everyone, even these new boys, because that's just who he is.
JC with the colors, and the unicorns and dragons!
and the sweet innocent lambs, who are going to cuddle in that spare box.
I could really see you expanding this story, it has so much potential.
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Date: 2004-02-26 03:00 pm (UTC)I was worried when I went back to your request and saw you wanted something fun, but decided to post anyway. I'm really glad you liked it, I wish I could have got Joey in more but the ficlet was running out of control as it was. The plan was to finish with the first night in the box but obviously I didn't get that far.
And yes, Joey has a spare box and Elroy is evil.
Chris is all worried about having new people to look after, but no way would he leave them alone, and I love the idea of JC, off in his own world painting things that will wash away. The sweet innocent lambs will cuddle in the box, and they'll wear all the clothes that they have, and be scared but Chris will sing softly from his and JC's box and they'll fall asleep with his song in their ears.
You know something? I think this will expand because I've all these scenes planned in my mind. Again, I have to thank you for asking for it, if it was up to me I'd never move away from Chris pairings *g*
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Date: 2004-02-26 03:29 pm (UTC)And I'm so happy that you're considering expanding this! Thank you for writing what you did.
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Date: 2004-02-26 03:20 pm (UTC)Terri, this was awesome!!!
More, definitely more, Please!!!
*hugs*
Your ideas rock, as always!
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Date: 2004-02-26 04:01 pm (UTC)I think I can pretty much guarantee more. I've a lot of scenes planned in my mind already.
How do you like the idea of the lambs first night, drunk idiots destroying the shelters, Chris getting sick and unable to sing, JC being discovered, just general living on the street scenes *g*
Thanks again for your comments, you rock!
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Date: 2004-02-26 04:20 pm (UTC)*grin*
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Date: 2004-02-28 10:05 am (UTC)Am gonna read part 2, now *g*
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Date: 2004-02-28 01:28 pm (UTC)I love this kind of AU too, nothing like a bit of angst to make a girl happy ;)
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Date: 2004-02-28 01:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-02-28 01:23 pm (UTC)I'm glad you found the story :)
I've actually just posted another part tonight at my LJ. The post is here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/turps33/185813.html#cutid1)
Thank you again.
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Date: 2004-02-29 08:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-01 04:36 am (UTC)Chris is awesome. Poor guy, all protective and not thinking about himself.
Thanks for commenting :)